The pioneers of Harrison County early took an interest
in education and schools were established as soon as the settlements were
made, though in the early development there were many obstacles in the
way. Harrison County schools now will compare favorably with those
in any part of the state.

Jonas R. Gray taught the first
school in Bethany in 1846. The building was erected for school and
church purposes and stood until some times in the '50's. William
Fleming also taught in the same building. William G. Lewis was
identified with the educational interests of the towns as a teacher, also
F.M. Goodpasture, Mr. Clendening, L.T. Morris, Doctor Skinner and
others. In 1871 W.H. Hilllman took the contract for the building of
a $6,500.00 building. Mrs. S.C. German, who now resides in Bethany,
was one of the teachers in the school at that time. John R. Kirk,
President of the Kirksville Normal School and past state superintendent of
schools, was principal of the Bethany school in 1876-1877. In 1885
he was employed as superintendent, going from Bethany to Kansas City about
twenty-four years ago.

The building erected in 1871 was improved
and enlarged many times but became inadequate and in 1912 was torn down
and a $40,000.00 building erected. The new building has three
stories. On the main floor are eight class rooms; on the second
floor are the assembly hall, with large stage, five recitation rooms, two
laboratories, library and superintendent's office. The basement
consists of gymnasium, manual training room, domestic science room, girls'
playroom, boiler room, etc. The building is equipped with modern
ventilating system, plumbing, and sanitary drinking fountains. The
extreme size of the building is 140x82 feet. Outside walls of the
basement are of dark red vitrified brick with stone trimmings; of the
first and second story walls, medium red vitrified brick, with stone caps
and sills, all laid in red mortar. Bethany also has one ward school
building, the Webster, in the west part of town, a splendid new tow story
brick building.

Miss Nellie Sutton is at present the efficient
county superintendent of schools.

There are now in Harrison County
144 school districts, 135 rural schools and 9 independent districts.
In the nine independent districts of the county there are eight high
schools. Three are first class...Bethany, Cainsville and Ridgeway;
one second class, Gilman City; four third class...Blythedale, Eagleville,
Mount Moriah, and New Hampton. This is a splendid record and means
that every school in Harrison County is doing work approved by the
State Department of Education and the State University. In all
probability Gilman City school will be put on the first class list this
year and no doubt New Hampton will be raised to second
class.

Bethany has sixteen teachers, ten grade and six high school,
and has a teachers training course doing approved work. Cainsville
has twelve teachers, nine grade and five high school; Ridgeway, nine
teachers, five grade and four high school; Gilman City, seven teachers,
four grade and three high school; New Hampton, five teachers, three grade,
and two high school; Blythedale, four teachers, three grade and one high
school; Mount Moriah, four teachers, three grade and one high school;
Eagleville, three teachers, two grade and one high school.

Of the
195 teachers in the county, 6 are university graduates; 36 are normal
school graduates; 5 have life state certificates; 6 have five-year state
certificates; 142 are teaching on county certificates. Fifty are
graduates of four year high schools; 30 are graduates of two year high
schools and 40 have done from one to one and a half years' high school
work, leaving only 22 who have done no high school
work.